Joseph Steinmetz, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named interim provost by Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway. He succeeds Richard Lariviere, recently named president of the University of Oregon.

“I want to congratulate Richard,” Hemenway said. “Like KU, Oregon is one of 34 public members of the Association of American Universities, and it is an outstanding institution.”

Hemenway steps down on June 30 after 14 years as KU’s leader. Lariviere begins his new post July 1.

A national search is under way for the new chancellor, with July 1 as the target start date. The provost oversees Lawrence campus academic and operational issues. Lariviere has been provost since 2006.

In addition to serving as interim provost, Steinmetz will continue to head the College.

“With Joe Steinmetz we have an experienced, highly regarded leader who oversees the largest academic unit of the university,” Hemenway said. “During the remaining months of this academic year, Joe will work closely not only with the leadership team in the provost’s office but also with me.”

A renowned behavioral neuroscientist, Steinmetz has led the College, which enrolls nearly 17,000 students and 53 departments, since 2006. He previously spent 19 years at Indiana University, where he served as executive associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Psychology. He received the 2000 Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Faculty Award; at KU, where he maintains a neuroscience research lab, he was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2007.